In one of the most intense games in Culver City High School boys’ water polo history Liberty High School edged the Centaurs 13-11 at Vets Pool on Overland Avenue in Culver City on Veterans Day, Tuesday evening. Fans were three rows deep and you could hear the enthusiastic crowd a block away from Vets Park. CIF playoffs brings out the best in the players, coaches and the fans.
“We needed a little bit of luck to move on in the playoffs,” said Culver City head coach Nestor Dordoni Jr. “The ball didn’t bounce our way today, I thought we played a good game, but we did not shoot that well and they were dropping back on our best player, and the Liberty coach did a good job. It was a really close game, and I figured it would. I know they weren’t going to hand it to us. We were a little unlucky today.”
The Culver City boys’ water polo team was the last Culver City High School fall team standing. They finished the season with a 23-10 overall record and a first-place record of 6-0 in the Pioneer league. “We had an A plus season,” said Dordoni. “It’s hard to make it to the CIF semifinals and it’s hard just to get to the playoffs. I thought the kids put in the effort.”
Dordoni continued to talk about the game and the season. “A few things in the end didn’t go our way today but we had an amazing year. Our players should never hang their heads after the game today. They did an amazing job. I thought it was a great season.”
Next year the Centaurs will need to rebuild their roster because they are losing 14 seniors this year. “There is a lot of leadership and depth leaving and next year we are moving up to a tougher league. Overall, it was a fun year, but I hate it had to end like this.”
There are 14 seniors on the team and one of them is Gershom ‘Gerri’ Santiago. He was a three-year starter who was one of the team leaders this season. “It feels great to be able to get this far,” said Santiago after the game on last Tuesday. “It was a tough loss, but we were a great team, and we did the best we could. At the end of the day, it was the little mistakes that cost us. I feel good about this team. We were able to build a good program, and I played with a lot of the same players since my freshmen year. We came a long way, and we were possibly one of the best teams in Culver City history”
